Razor blade receptacle



April 17, 1956 P. R. BREAZEALE 2,741,837

RAZOR BLADE RECEPTACLE Filed June 27, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 17,1956 P. R. BREAZEALE 2,741,837

RAZOR BLADE RECEPTACLE Filed June 27, 1951 '.2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIIIIIIIIIIIII In Ven'or' Paf [1.Breczzea/e United States Patent C2,741,837 RAZOR BLADE RECPTACLE Pat R. Breazeale, .lacksonvilde7Appication June 27, 1951, Serial No. 233,871?

3 Claims. (Ci. '3G-40) My invention relates to razor blade receptacles,and more particularly to receptacles positionable on a razor of theblade injection type to receive automatically the used blade uponejection from the razor, and further relates to combinations ofinjection razors, used blade receptacles and new blade magazines.

A general object of my invention is to eliminate the exposure of thecutting edge of blades during the replacement of blades in a razor.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensiveused blade receptacle for use with blade injector type razors which willmake unnecessary any manuai handling of used blades.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cardboard or similarcarton for packaging a clip or magazine ofnew blades which will functionas a used blade recep` acle after removal of the clip therefrom.

An additional object is to minimize the possibility of I Y used bladesfalling from an entrance opening in a used bi'ade receptacle.

he novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a perspective view ofa new blade magazine, a razor and a receptacle inl accord with myinvention in disassembled aligned positions; Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the devices of Fig. l assembled for use in replacing the bladein a razor andv automatically disposing of thel used blade as ejectedfrom the razor; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a clip and receptacleinaccord with my invention coupled together as it is contemplated theywill be stored between active uses thereof in replacing and receivingblades; Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a carton for a new blademagazine in accord with my invention; Pig. 5 is a. detail View of an endof a receptacle in accord with a modification of my invention; Fig. 6-is a sectional view of a receptacle in accord with my invention showingan arrangement applicable to a. type of carton diering slightly from thecarton of Figs. l through 3; Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective viewsdisclosing another modified receptacle in accord with my invention; Fig.9 is a plan. view of a carton blank to form a carton in accord with Fig.4; and Fig. 10 is a perspective View of a magazine carton which mayserve without alteration as a used blade receptacle in' accord with myinvention.

Fig. 1 of the drawings shows a razor 1, as now perfected, approximatelyin accord with the U. S. patent toy O. V. Rodriques, No. 1,969,945,entitled Razor and Loading Device Therefor, and a clip or magazine 2, asnow perfected, holding new blades for thel razor which is approximatelyVin accord with the U. S. patent to L. Kuhnl,

' No. 2,043,046, entitled Magazine for Razor Blade. My I invention isnot directed to such razor or magazine, per

se, but contemplates a receptacle particularlyv adapted for" ICC usewith razors and magazines of this general type, and my invention furthercontemplates combinations including such razors and magazines. It willbe understood that various modifications may be made to adapt thereceptacle herein described to types of injector razors other than thatshown, as well as to other types of blade magazines, and the underlyingprinciples of my invention are generally applicable to injector razorsand blade magazines. The term injector razor as used herein,accordingly, refers to razors in which the blade may be slidinglyejected from Ythe razor by, or at the same time as, a new blade is beinginserted thereinto, while the term injector magazine, or injector clip,Vrefers to any mechanism or arrangement for injecting a new blade intoan injector razor in such manner that the used blade is automatically orat the same time ejected therefrom.

in accord with the preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. l, the usedblade receptacle comprises an elongated rectangular box-like bodyportion 3 closed at a back end by suitable aps 4 and partially closed atthe front or entering end by a single ap 5 extending upwardly from thebottom toward the top of the container but being short enough to leavean opening 6 in the form of a slot extending transversely across theupper portion of the front face and serving to admit used blades uponejection from the head of razor l. One side of the receptacle protrndesas a tab 7 which serves to connect the receptacle to the razor duringreplacement of the blade. The tab is proportioned vto lit within the`channel S in the razor head in muchv the same manner as key 9 of themagazine 2 is inserted. Since tab 7 i's'to be inserted in this channel,and since the razor head will normallybe oi metal, while the receptaclewill preferably be made of cardboard or other inexpensive and softmaterial for economy, though harder and stronger materials wouldotherwise be preferred, it may be necessary or desirable to impregnatethe tab 7 and more or less of the receptacle adjoining the tab with ahardening or stiiening material. Synthetic resin glues, glues, or waxesmay be employed for this purpose, for example, and it is to'beunderstood that the reinforcement of the tab 7 in this manner maycomprise a thorough impregnation or a mere layer of bonding agentbetween the overlapped layers of the receptacle material, or an externalcoating or layer on the tab or a portion thereof..

The tab 7 is shown as formed on the side of the receptacle on which theedges of the blank are overlapped and, usually, glued together. rl`hisconstruction is preferred when the receptacle material has a thicknessabout onehalf that of the key 9. For thicker material, it may bepreferable. to join` the edges of the blank at the side opposite the tab7, whereby the tab will be of single thickness.

A generally square aperture 10 and two slits tov form a short strap 11are cut in the top of the receptacle as shown. in Fig. l for purposeshereinafter considered in connection with Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the clip 2 is positioned with key 9 in place inthe razor head channel to deliver or inject I a new blade into therazor, and the used blade receptacle *isY inposition on the razor withtab 7 in the opposite end of the channel to receive the ejected usedblade. The key 9 is first inserted into the razor head channel to spreadthe channel by moving a portion of the razor head against leaf spring12. This enlargement or opening of the channel by the metal key 9 beforeinsertion of tab 7 reduces Wear on the tab of softer material andpermits the tab to tit snugly in the channel wherein it is heldsutliciently firmly to stay in place primarily by friction, aided invsome degree by the pressure of spring 12 under some circumstancesdepending upon the tab thickness, the key thickness, and the conditionof the razor.

As seen in Fig. 2, the slider 13 of the magazine 2 has just been broughtforward to inject a new blade into the razor in the manner described inthe above identified patents and the used blade 1d has just left therazor head, has passed freely through the'slot 6 and is falling freelyinto the receptacle 3. This blade will come to rest on the'botto'm 15 ofthe receptacle and will` not interfere with the entrance later on ofother used blades. As shown in Fig. 2, the iiap 1d at the closedrearward end of the receptacle is inserted along the top of thereceptacle, and in order that the entering blade 14 will not becomelodged above the flap, the tab 7 is formed to hold the receptacle bodyat a slight angle to the razor head. This angle may not be necessary ordesired if the ap 16 is arranged to extend along the'bottom 15 insteadof along the top. The elimination of the angle is further consideredbelow in connection with Fig. 6. v

Upon completion of the blade replacing operation in accord with Fig. 2,the tab 7 is AFirst removed from the razor head, and then the key 9 ofclip 2 is alsoV removed to free the razorof appendages and leave itready for use.

In order that the used blade or blades in the receptacle will not fallout through slot 6, it being understood that flap effectively covers orencloses the end of the receptacle except for this slot, the key'9 ofthe clip is inserted as shown in Fig. 3 along the outer top of thereceptacle body Yunder strap 11, and the small protrnsion 17 of the keyenters the rectangular opening identified as opening in i `Fig. l. lnthis position, thebody of the blade clip 2 abuts the'flap at thereceiving end of the receptacle and closes the blade-entering slot abovethe ap. When the clip and receptacle are connected intthis manner, usedblades are effectively trapped in the hollow body of the receptacle 3,

while the receptacle and clip are retained together ready Vfor the nextblade replacement. The closing of the slot by the clip body need not becomplete, but the slot should be suiciently covered to prevent thepassage of one of the blades.

The used blade receptacle is conveniently made from the carton in whichthe clip of new blades is sold. Fig. 4 shows a complete carton in theform of an elongated rectangular box, of which the overall length issuicient to accommodate the clip including its key. The carton isarranged for parting along a rouletted, partially cut or otherwiseweakened parting line 18a near the central portion of the carton, therearward portion forming the receptacle 3, while the forward portion 18may be discarded. The parting line 18a extends around the carton, as isapparent in Fig. 4, in a manner to leave the tab 7 and ap 5 attached tothe receptacle, and to facilitate proper parting of the carton,V theseparts may becornv pletely, or substantially completely, cut out by thecuts on line 18a, while the cuts across the top and far side are lessVcomplete. The rectangular aperture 10 and strap 11 of the receptacle areformed in the carton for use as describedk in connection with Fig. 3. lfdesired, the aperture 10 may not be completely cut through in thecarton, but may be partially cut and arranged to accept the smallhook-like protrusion of the key by removing from the path of theprotrusion material loosely held in the aperture. s There may be atendency forthe blades being expelled from the razor head to catch uponthe end of the slot of the receptacle adjacent the back edge of theblade. This tendency can be overcome by the provision, as shown in Fig.5, of a crimp 1S at the base of tab 7, which will offset tab 7 from theside of the receptacle. The entering blade will then be spaced slightlyfrom the wall portion 19 which forms the back end of the slot V6 aboveflap 5. ln order that the crimp 1S will be retained in the material ofwhich the carton, and receptacle, are made, particularly if thismaterial is cardboard, the glue holding the overlapped edges of thecarton together at the back side, and throughout the tab 7, may possessa reinforcing and strengthening characteristic which opposes bendingafter setting of the glue. The crimp 18 may be maintained by othermeans, of course, such as by the inherent characteristic of many typesol cardboard, or other materials of which the receptacle could beformed, toretain a crimp once rmly made, or by the use of syntheticresin impregnation of the tab 7, or by the insertion of a thin sheet ofplastic or metal possessing some degree of stiiness as a reinforcingmember between the overlapping edges of the carton.

There is less tendency for the entering blade to catch at 19, as shownin Fig. 5, if the receptacle edges overlap in the direction shown inPig.Y l rather than as shown in Fig. 5. Thus it may be desired,particularly when the crimp 18 is to be omitted, to overlap the edges bybringing the downwardly extending edge attached to the top of thereceptacle over and outside of the upwardly extending edge attached tothe bottom of the receptacle, this being the construction shown in Pig.l.

In Figs. 1 5 as discussed above, the tab forrinsertion into the slot ofthe razor head has Ybeen shown and described as extending upwardly at asmall angle, and, as further explained, this angle is intended so toposition the receptacle on the razor head that an entering blade willnot follow the top of the receptacle and become Vlodged between theupper receptacle wall and an inserted closing flap. If the closing ilap23, as seen inV Fig. 6, however is tucked in along the bottom 15 Vof thereceptacle, the angle may be omitted and the tab 7 may extend straightout from the body of the receptacle in accord with Fig. 6. Bladesentering slot 6.wi1l then fall upon thertop of the tucked-in portion ofap 20 and will not tend to work out of the back end of the receptacle.It is to be understood that the tab angle VVdiscussed immediately abovemay be provided or omitted, in accord with Fig. l or Fig. 6 as desired,and that the direction selected does not necessarily eiect thedesirability of providing the offsetting crimp shown in and discussed inconnection with Fig. 5.

A modified tab construction is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, wherein a member21 of metal, plastic, wood, fiberboard, or the like, is axed, byglueing, stapling, crimping or otherwise, to the inside of the back wall22 of the receptacle. The member extends outwardly from the receptacleat the entrance end to form a tab portion 23 and a locking linger 24. Asseen in Fig. 7, the forward end of a carton may have been torn off anddiscarded to leave the receptacle body 3, tab 23, finger 24, and ap 5.To prepare the receptacle for use in receiving used blades,

the iap 5 is bent upwardly to leave an entrance slot 6 as shown in Fig.8, and the finger 24 is bent over against the ap 5 to hold it in theupwardly extending position across the open end.

In constructions where the tab comprises a readily formed material, anelongated knob or guide protrusion 25 is preferably provided to engagein a portion of the channel in the razor head in the manner in which thesimilar guide protrusion of the key of the new blade clip engagestherein at the other end of the head. It may be desirable to form suchknob even if the nature of the material of the tab requires that aseparate piece of material be glued in place to comprise the knob. Thisknob tends to guide the tab into the razor head channel into a specificpredetermined position and locates the receptacle with greater precisionin respect to the head, thus reducing the chance of misalignment. Theknob 25 further serves to increase the frictional forces tending toholdthe tab in the razor channel. To hold reasonably securely in thechannel, the tab 23 should haveapproximately the same thickness as thekey of the new blade clip. This thickness may be the thickness of themetal or other material employed for the tab 23, or, for example, alayer of the carton material may extend alongside the tab portionprovided by the attached member 21. Other means for "n D providing thisthickness will occur to those skilled in the Fig. 9 discloses a plan ofa carton blank for forming a carton in accord with Fig. 4, from whichthe receptacle of Fig. 1 may be formed. Line 18a represents a brokenknife cut, rouletting or other weakened portion across the carton. Thecarton is formed from the blank in any desired manner, by folding alonglongitudinal dashed lines 26, and preferably folding theedge portion 27inside of edge portion 28 to reduce the chance of the blade catching atthe end of its entrance slot in the receptacle. After the completedcarton has been used in connection with the sale of the new blade clipwhich it is proportioned to house, it is broken at line 18a as explainedin connection with Fig. 4, whereby the portion lying to the right ofline 18a in Fig. 9 becomes the receptacle for used blades.

While Figs. 1 9 of the drawings are directed to a receptable for usedblades formed by tearing away a portion of the clip carton, the wholecarton may be employed as a receptacle. Fig. l is a view of a combinedcarton and receptacle arranged to enclose the body of a clip of newblades but to permit the key thereof to protrude alongside tab 29. Therearward end of the carton is closed by flaps 39, as in the earlierdescribed constructions of Fig. 2 or of Fig. 6, for example, and theseflaps are opened to remove the clip and are closed again thereafter. Twoaps 31 and 32 partially close the forwardend of the carton and arepreferably glued together. A blade entering slot 33 remains above thecross flap 31 and the upwardly extending 'hap 32, and while these apsmay meet the lower portion of tab 29, a cut out portion 34 is providedat the upper corners of the aps near the tab through which the key ofthe clip may extend. The resultant position of the ke;I tends toreinforce the tab 29 during the time before the clip is removed for useto prevent damage to the tab during shipment.

The construction of tab 29 in Fig. l0 differs from that cf any of theother figures and comprises a three layer upper portion and a two layerlower portion. The tab is so cut that an extended ear 35 of cardboardprotrudes from the end of the tab-forming portion of the outer layer ofthe receptacle. This extended ear is then folded over at 36 back againstthe inner side of the inner layer of the tab, terminating just insidethe receptacle at 37. The ear is glued against the inner side of thetab, and reinforces the tab at the hase, where the tab joins the body ofthe receptacle. The bend at 36 tends to prevent fraying of the end ofthe tab, particularly if the cardboard of which the receptacle is madeis of the type having a cast coated or similar glazed surface. The threelayer upper portion of the tab will fit snugly in the upper portion ofthe razor channel when this portion of the channel has been opened byinsertion of the key of the new blade clip, in the opposite end. As seenin Fig. l0, the end of the razor channel has an upper portion 38 whichis somewhat wider than the lower portion 39, when the key is in place,and as taught in the above patent to Rodriques, No. 1,969,945, the blade40 is released from a clamping action by this expansion of the upperportion of the channel. The tab 29 thus conforms generally to the shapeof the channel, and it is held in alignment by the thick upper portionof the tab. A further slight advantage is obtained by this construction,in that the increased amount of material applied to the inner side ofthe tab moves the end of slot 33 further from the path of the blade,tending thereby to perform the function of the crimp in the tabconsidered above in connection with Fig. 5.

After removal of the clip from the carton of Fig. l0 as described, thecarton is used as a receptacle in the manner suggested in Figs. 2 and 3.A rectangular aperture and strap 11 are provided to permit theattachment of the clip to the receptacle as in Fig. 3, and it is to benoted that the aperture and strap are positioned in respect to the slot33 and the tab end of the receptacle of Fig. 10

as they are in Figs. 1-9. The receptacle -of Fig.- l0 m'ay be, ofcourse,of greater overall length than the receptacles of Figs. 1-9 in that thebody of a clip which is to' be housed in the body of the receptacle ofFig. 10 is of greater length than an individual blade. While the tab 29of the device of Fig. l0 is shown aligned with the body of thereceptacle as in Fig. 6, it will be understood that the tab may be at anangle as in Figs. 14 and it may be reinforced by stiff glue or plasticimpregnation or otherwise. The tab as shown in Fig. l0 is particularlywell adapted for use when the whole carton is to be the used bladereceptacle, but other tabs may be provided in this instance, and theconstruction of tab 29 can be used with a rouletted dividable cartonsimilar to that of Fig. 4 if desired.V The ear 35 of tab 29 tends-toperform the function of knob 25 of Figs. 7 and 8, and both will probablynot be found desirable. y

Reference numerals have been appliedV to several iigures of the drawingsnot discussed specifically in connection therewith, such numerals beingprovided toV corre'- spond and relate to parts described in connectionwith other figures.

The operation of the devices is believed clear from the descriptionshereinabove. The carton in each case pro'- tects the new blade magazineafter manufacture thereof until the magazine has been sold and is to beused. The carton may, ofcourse, be printed and colored to formanattractive display container, and directions for use may Aalso beprinted thereon. After removal of the blade magazine through therecloseable flaps at one end, the carton of Fig. 4 is parted along theparting line as described and the receptacle portion retained for use.In the construction of Fig. 10, the flaps 3i) are opened to permitwithdrawal of the magazine. Thereafter the magazine key may be insertedinto the channel of the razor head, the tab of the used blade receptacleinserted in the other end of the channel to dispose the blade entranceslot or opening in alignment to receive the ejected used blade, themagazine operated to force a new blade into the razor and thereby toeject the old blade directly from the razor into the receptacle, and thereceptacle and magazine thereafter detachedk from the razor. In orderconveniently to have the magazine and receptacle stored together to beimmediately available when next to be used, and in order that the bladeentrance slot may be closed against the accidental falling out of theused blade, the magazine is attached to the receptacle, by means ofstrap 11 and aperture 10, from which it is readily detachable forsubsequent use.

When the operation of replacing blades has been completed a suicientnumber of times to empty the magazine, it is intended that the magazineshould be attached to the receptacle as shown in Fig. 3 and that bothshould be discarded. Either or both may be reused, however, if desired,and the used blades in the receptacle may be emptied out preferably byopening the flaps at the rearward end.

If is preferred for reasons of economy that the carton and receptacle ofmy invention should be fashioned of inexpensive brous sheet material,such as cardboard, but it may be desired to make a more attractive,sturdier or longer lasting receptacle from metal or molded plastic, orother materials. It will be understood that the rearward end iiap of thereceptacle may be inserted along the top as shown by flap 16 in Fig. 2,or along the bottom as shown by hap 29 in Fig. 6, primarily in accordwith the shape and disposition of the magazine in the carton. The deviceof Fig. l0 is described as having a hollow body portion sufficientlylong to house only the magazine body, but it may be desired to house thewhole magazine including the key thereof. ln the latter instance, thetab 29 may be bent over against flaps 31 and 32 and straightened outinto the position perpendicular to this end of the carton at the time ofuse of the carton as a used blade receptacle, and in this Case, it mayfurther be desired to formthetab of metalzwhich will better withstandsuch bending. .It will further be understood that more than two or`three thicknesses or layers of material maybe provided in the tab asdetermined by the thickness of the particular material and the extendedwidth of the razor channel. Ac-

Vcordingly, while I have shown certain preferred embodiments of myinvention byV way of illustration, other modications will occur to thoseskilled in the art and I thereforewish to have it understood that Iintend, in the appended claims, to cover all such modificationsV as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I Vclaim as new and'desirezto secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is: 1 f

1. A usedblade receptacle comprising ahollow bladecontaining portionopen at an end, a ap partially ciosing said end and defining a bladeentrance slot inV said end, a protruding injector-razar-channel-engagingtab ex- Y tending outwardly from .the plane of said end adapted andarranged to dispose said slot to receive a used blade kundersaidzstrapalongsaid side wall, a protrusion from said key removablyengaged in said aperture, andra body member. attached to said key and`extending in covering relation to said slot. v y -Y 3. A usedblade.receptacle comprising a hoilowbody portion having a side wall and havingan end slot for receiving Vused blades, saidV slot being adjacent saidside wall,.a laterally extending strap on said side wall, said sidewallhaving an aperture, a key removably inserted under said strap along saidside wail, a protrusion from said key removably engaged in saidaperture, and a body member attached Vto said key and extending inVcovering relation to said slot, said key and body member constituting anew blade injector magazine.

"References Cited inthe tile of this patent vUNITED STATES PATENTS.

1,321,204 Haigh Nov. 11, 1919 1,791,586 Todd Feb. 10, 1931 1,969,945,Rodrigues Aug. 14, 1934 2,071,978 Hines Feb. 23, 1937 2,270,790Starnpleman et al. Ian. 20, 1942 2,316,600 Kuhnl et al Apr. 13, 19432,330,639 Testi Sept. 28, 1943 2,418,495 Auerbach Apr. S, 1947 2,451,382Davis Oct.V l2, 1948 2,562,513 Shnitzler July 31, 1951

